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Topic: Quick and Easy rules? (Read 1585 times)

After collecting and painting WW2 for many years now and I nearly at a point where I have enough painted miniatures and scenery to play a game but the question is what rules do I use.

Scale wise I use 28mmSize wise, anything from squad upTheatre wise - Burma, Pacific, Early War, Desert , Market Garden and probably later war D Day and Beyond

I wargame with my family (Wife and Kids) so the rules need to be fairly easy, fast and fun. I am not bothered about historical accuracy as that may rob me of the chance to bore them all with history after the game.

The games I have been looking at

Bolt Action (I have the 1st edition)Rules of EngagementCross Of IronChain of commandI ain't been shot mum

Chain of Command is the first choice, Rules of engagement the second (I prefer CoC for the patrol phase and command, ROE for the AT fire). Probably if wife and kids are involved COC is a good starting point because it is easy, the role of leaders/character is important, and what is happening on the table makes sense (you can understand what you are doing). On top of it the end results are accurate, added bonus. RoE is also good, but is more procedural.

No comment on Bolt Action, I hate it and cannot stand Cavatore too!

IASBM is good, but in 28mm will require a large large table, it is a company level game. Okay if you have the space... Cross of Iron is also aimed at company actions.

Not difficult for me, and with some good ideas: disposable Heroes, now in its 2nd edition.

Disclaimer: I never understood why accuracy must be antithetic to fun and simplicity.

Despite the press Bolt Action is fine.Its lightweight and has a few issues but its got a strong following. Tactics are minimal and simply charge across the open field can work so you don't need to think that hard.

Thanks for the thoughts. I shall probably give Bolt Action a go first as I have the Rulebook (Version 1). I am probably more drawn to that due to their coverage of all the theatres I am interested in and the fact the books are printed as I hate pdfs.

+1 for Chain of Command, however if you want a quick fun game in WW2, I recommend 'What a Tanker'It is only tank V tank, but it is fun and quick. You can always add your own rules for Infantry, anti-tank etc.once you have mastered the tank V tank.

A basic version of the rules can be downloaded free, along with organisation charts & game templates.

It is not a comment on the rules... only on one of the designers ... By the way, CoC is in print, and you can get the supplements covering the theaters you want for free. Okay they are downloads, but they aren't big to print.

Nice try, but I believe any reasonable judge or jury would deem "I hate it" a comment, though its fairness may be subject to debate. (Personally, having not played it, I have no opinion, which certainly cannot be construed as a comment.)

Without wishing to distract from or hijack the original discussion, I am intrigued by the two mentioned rule sets by Great Escape Games (regardless of whether Iron Cross is indeed one of the sets referred to.)

Can anyone briefly outline the differences? From vague memory of earlier comments, I had the impression Rules of Engagement might crudely be summarised as '40K in WWII', which immediately put me off. (That's not a comment on it, BTW). The more recent Iron Cross has tempted me rather more, but I confess to knowing little about either, and would appreciate some comparative comments.

I cannot understand why people says it took too much time to complete a force. It is a platoon level game. you usually have a reduced platoon as starting point and you can add elements, more or less like Disposable Heroes. It has a good coverage of vehicles, and I like the AT system (direct penetration rather than the annoying BoD system other rules use... yes this is the only thing I dislike in Rich games...). It is WH40k-esque in the sense that troops have stats! And you usually need too equal the stat to succeed in your activity. Firing is based on the overly classic roll to hit-possible save-effect. Yes it looks like 40k, but it is a quite basic mechanic... there is suppression, opportunity fire, and morale effect. There is no special activation mechanic it is a Igo-Ugo system. Considering the forces are quite small it is not a big problem. There is an order system, you have to assign orders to saudas before starting to move and to fire. Ranges are 'traditional' so a bit compressed, but not at BA level. Dr. Sigmoid Curve (quoting Rich!) is not really a big annoyance here.

By the way I remember talking with Stuart back in time and he said it was perfectly possible to play with squads rather than a full platoon, and also the rules states this.

It is a straight forward game, rewarding good tactics and without too many characters, weird weapons, on table 155mm guns and so on. I think it is very easy to pick up, and a solid game.

I do not own or have played Iron Cross, but there are plenty of available materials, including a full example of play on the website.